


Another's man life

by orphan_account



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Fluff, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich as Fathers, M/M, Movie inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 23:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3506846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The clothes fall at his feet and he lets escape a loud scream; he shrinks back in horror, before he can take what his mirror shows. It’s him alright but it’s not him; he has wrinkles around his eyes and his mouth, and scars on his chest he doesn’t remember. He has a  stubble and apparently he got another tattoo; on the inside of his right arm, the letter M is inked on his skin in a very elegant writing and for a second, he smiles because it’s beautiful and it’s obvious he did it for Mickey."</p><p>or Gallavich AU based on the movie "La vie d'une autre" (another's woman life)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another's man life

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! so yesterday I was reading "eighty-four" by kissteethstainred for the third time (don't judge) and it reminded me of a french movie I saw 3 years ago called 
> 
> La vie d'une autre (another's woman life) 
> 
> So I decided to write this fic based on it, I hope you'll like it :)  
> I recommand to watch the trailer first, I found it with subtitles:
> 
> http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xra97d_another-woman-s-life-la-vie-d-une-autre-trailer-hd-2012-english-subtitles-sylvie-testud-juliette-bin_shortfilms
> 
>  
> 
> Tell me what you think :)

_Today is the day_ , Ian thinks when he wakes up: he is starting a new job, his family is happy and he finally got his bipolar disorder sorted out. His meds doesn’t make him feel cranky anymore and he is starting to take back control of his life. _Yeah, today is a great day_ he thinks.

He gets out of bed quickly, puts some clothes on, and heads downstairs to have breakfast. Fiona is making pancakes and she smiles at him as she hands him a cup of coffee. Ian gratefully accepts it and leaves a peck on her cheek before flopping down on a chair at the Gallagher’s dinner table.

 

“We’re leaving in 30 minutes, honey. Better not by late on your first day.“ She says with a smile.

 

Thanks to Fiona, Ian starts working at Patsy’s pie today, and even if it’s not his dream job, it’s a job and it keeps him occupied, plus he can finally help financially. Since Lip is in college and Debbie and Carl are participating the best they can, taking care of the family pretty much is on Fiona’s shoulders and Ian hates it; he wants to be able to take care of his family as well and now that he’s back from the army with no chance of military career, he just wants to set easy goals.

 

At Patsy’s pie, Ian easily blends in and having Fiona around helps him relax; he knows that she’ll have his back if something goes wrong, even if he’s pretty sure the worst that could happen is him burning a steak or put too much salt on a plate of fries. Few hours after the beginning of his shift, he’s smoking outside when he sees Mickey, Mandy’s brother, crossing the street and going into the dinner. Ian always had a thing for him, but the Milkovich family reputation is not something that makes Ian want to blurt out his feelings. He already feels grateful Mandy agreed to keep his secret and play beard. Anyway, he crashes his cigarette under his boot and goes back in at the exact moment Mickey goes out and their eyes meet for a second. Ian is pretty sure he has never seen someone with eyes so blue, and he wishes he could drown in them. He shakes the thought away and goes back into the kitchen, hoping his crush on Mickey Milkovich will eventually fade away.

 

A week later, the entire Gallagher clan is busy organizing Ian’s 18th birthday; Kev and V took a babysitter (despite Kev’s reluctance to leave his baby girls to anyone who’s not family) and they are bringing cheap booze from the Alibi. Lip said he would ditch school because _it’s not everyday my baby brother turns eighteen_. Fiona even bought a bottle of whiskey for Frank and plans on giving it to him a few hours before the party so she can be sure their old man will pass out somewhere and won’t crash the party. Of course, she will wait for V to put some strong sedative in it before give it to him, she's not dumb. Ian works that day and even though he knows what’s going on at home, he feels really excited to get there later and be welcomed by his siblings, a cake made by Debbie, weird decorations by Carl and Liam and just all of their smiles, just for him. He texts Mandy on his break to tell her to bring her ass around 7pm, and her answer makes Ian shiver a little.

 

**From Mands, 3.45pm**

“Can I bring my brother?”

 

**From Ian, 3.47pm**

“Which one?”

 

**From Mands, 3.50pm**

“Mickey, asshole“

 

 _Yes, please do_ , he thinks and he knows he can’t fight the weird, fluttering feeling in his stomach.

 

**From Ian, 3.52pm**

“Sure, no pb”

 

When he gets home that night, he is greeted by everyone just like he knew he would: Carl, Debbie and Liam offer a mutual, very tight “we love you big brother” hug and Ian loves every second of it. Lip shakes his hand first but then something passes in his eyes and Ian can read the “who are we kidding?” expression on his face right before his brother hugs him firmly. V and Fiona kiss his face multiple times like he is a toddler but he doesn’t mind. Kev happens to be the coolest about it, hands him a beer and slaps him in the back before telling him that from now on, he is truly a man so he is pretty much responsible for his own bullshit. Ian laughs at that because he feels like he was never truly a kid, at least not since the day Monica ditched him with Lip and Debbie on the side of a road to buy drugs.He was 7. 

 

Mandy and Mickey arrive an hour later, and Ian is already feeling tipsy, which is not a good thing when Mickey’s around. Mandy falls in his arms and tells him she loves him, which causes Ian to tighten the grip he has on her because he knows Mandy doesn’t say these things casually. The fact that she smells like weed and vodka doesn’t change that. When Ian finally looks up, he notices that Mickey’s face is badly bruised; he doesn’t say anything but he stares at the black eye and the bloody lip. He wonders what happened there but he knows better than asking. He takes Mandy’s hand and lead her to the kitchen to grab beers, Mickey on her heels. Ian wonders how much alcohol he will have to put in Mandy's system so she will spill the truth about her brother's face. Apparently what he has lying around is not enough, the girl can definitely hold her liquor and she doesn't say a word about it, leaving Ian a little bit frustrated. 

 

The party is a real success: around 2am, Kev and V leave before sliding a 20 dollar bill in Ian’s pocket; it’s not much but Ian really appreciates, he knows that everyone struggles to make ends meet. Mandy took off with Lip somewhere and Fiona is upstairs with the kids, leaving Ian in the kitchen sipping on his last beer. He decides to go out to have a smoke and he finds Mickey sitting on the stairs, smoking weed. He sits beside him, not saying a word but hands him his beer and Mickey gives him the joint. They sit there not saying a word to each other for a while, but Ian feels comfortable. Much to his surprise, it’s Mickey who breaks the silence.

 

“So, you had a good time?” He says, giving Ian his beer back.

 

“Yeah, it was nice.” Ian takes a long gulp and belches loudly. Mickey smirks at him, making Ian’s inside twist.

 

“What did your family get you?” Mickey asked as he takes back the joint from Ian’s lips.

 

“Nothing fancy, you know. Dvd’s, a new pair of jeans and some money. Not much but I’m glad.”

 

“What did Mandy get you?”

 

“She said she’d get a stash of weed from you.” Ian bumps his shoulder with Mickey’s, only to receive a punch in the thigh.

 

“The bitch can dream. It’s not her gift if it comes from me. She’ll have to find something else.”

 

“What do **you** plan on giving me?” Ian says.

 

He knows that he is way too much forward, that he will probably get punched in the face but he can’t stop himself. He stares at Mickey’s lips and licks his because god, how bad he wants to close the distance between them. Mickey frowns a little and stares at Ian before scooting closer to the redhead and places his hand on Ian’s thigh, inches from his crotch.

 

“Maybe I can think of a thing or two.”

 

Ian is slack-jawed for a second because he never thought this day would come; here he is, sitting on his porch with his crush obviously hitting on him. He finally gets it together and takes Mickey’s hand to lead him in the backyard where the van is, and he is so happy when he sees that Mandy and Lip are not fucking in there. They get into the old vehicle and take their clothes off within a minute before smashing their bodies together. Ian is sure he’s dreaming but he doesn’t care, he tries to focus on the feeling of Mickey’s body pressed against his, the way he whispers in his ear _fuck Gallagher_ , the way the brunette desperately squeezes every inch of his body as if Ian wasn’t the one crushing on the boy for ages. They fuck like there’s no tomorrow, and past the shock that Mickey’s gay, Ian learns that night that he is also a power bottom. The Milkovich boy is bossy, wants Ian to get faster and harder, and seems to know exactly how to turn Ian on even more if that's possible. When they finally both reach their orgasm, they fall side by side onto the dirty mattress of the van, and Mickey lights up a cigarette, takes a long drag and hands it to Ian. They stay silent for a while, staring at the ceiling until once again, Mickey is the one who speaks first.

 

“You have no idea how many times I thought about doing this.” His voice is barely audible and he doesn’t look at Ian when he says it, but Ian understands. Saying it at loud, even in this moment seems dangerous. They don’t live in Boystown, they’re south side.

 

Ian turns his head to stare at Mickey, and he knows that Mickey is wasted otherwise he would never say these things. Ian doesn’t care because he can tell the other boy is being sincere, and so he throws the cigarette by the window, rolls on his side and kisses him passionately because he wants too, because he can. Mickey doesn’t jerk away, on the contrary he seems to relax under Ian’s touch. They make out for a while until the sun goes up and Mickey says he has to go. They put their clothes on and get out of the van and Ian is still buckling his belt when Mickey pushes him against the van and kisses him again, very softly compared to the way he just handled him. When they pull apart, their are both out of breath and Mickey is glowing, something that Ian is pretty sure he’ll never get sick of. Mickey squeezes Ian’s waist gently and gives him a small smile before turning around and leaving the Gallagher’s backyard. Right before he disappears from Ian’s sight, he shouts “I’ll see you around, firecrotch!”.

 

Ian smiles like a loon all the way to his room and when he is finally in his pajamas, under the sheets, he closes his eyes and sighs happily because fuck, this is his best birthday ever. The only thing he regrets is not knowing how Mickey got that black eye. 

 

…  


When Ian wakes up, he has a smile tugged on his lips. He rolls in the sheets and rewinds his night with Mickey, how much it was perfect and how he wants it to happen again. He takes a deep breath and frowns a little because of the unfamiliar scent hitting his nostrils. He opens his eyes and his heart stops for a second; he is in bed but not his and this bedroom ain’t his either. He tries to refrain the panic attack that’s about to take over, and he jumps out of bed because something is definitely wrong. The apartment is not very big but since he doesn’t know where he is, he feels like he is in a maze. Finally he ends up in the kitchen, where a boy is drinking a glass of orange juice at the kitchen table.

 

“Dad, can you open the honey pot please?”

 

Ian watches the boy with an expression of horror, and the boy looks at him quizzically; he must be 9, not older and he has bedhead, big blue eyes and his skin is very pale. He is wearing Spiderman pajamas and his feet don’t even touch the floor.

 

“Dad?” he says, and Ian seems to gradually recover.

 

“Yeah?” he answers, his voice shaky.

 

“I’m hungry, can you open the honey pot please?”

 

“Sure, sure.”

Ian gets closer and opens the honey pot in one go, eyes never leaving the boy. He watches him as he takes a piece of bread and spreads a large amount of honey on it before taking a bite. Ian spots the coffee maker and starts a pot because he needs it bad. _Where the hell am I?_ He wonders and he is pretty sure the panic attack festering is about to hit hard. He goes to the fridge to take the bottle of milk and only then he notices the drawing on the fridge’s door. It represents two men, one with red hair and green eyes, and the other with black hair and blue eyes. Between them, there’s a boy with black hair but his eyes are actually hearts and he has a huge smile. In an almost undecipherable handwriting, Ian can read _My family. Yevgeny_. So the boy’s name is Yevgeny. _What kind of name is that?_ He thinks as he pours himself a cup of coffee. He is then disturbed in his thoughts by the little one’s voice.

 

“Dad?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

 

“Work?”

 

“Yeah, you know, ROTC.”

 

Ian is wide-eyed in astonishment and he is sure his jaw just dropped to the floor. ROTC?

 

“I… I’m not going today. Maybe we could spend the day together?” Ian figures that if he is gonna get any answer without someone throwing him in a psych ward, it is gonna from the boy.

 

“Aunt Mandy is supposed to pick me up in an hour, I have baseball practice.”

 

Right now, Ian knows he must be white as death: **Aunt MANDY**? Meaning this little boy’s father is…No way. _No fucking way_. The look on the boy’s face is very suspicious but Ian chooses to ignore it. He spots a phone on the table and goes through the contacts until he finds what he is looking for. He presses the call button and waits.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, Mandy it’s Ian!“

 

“What do you want?” She says aggressively and Ian is taking aback because he didn’t expect that kind of reaction.

 

“I… I just wanted to let you know that I’m taking Yevgeny to practice today so you don’t have to.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Ian has no time to say anything else, Mandy has already hung up, leaving him dumbfounded in his kitchen. He turns around to find the boy staring at him, and maybe for the first time since he woke up in this nightmare, Ian takes a close look at him: the boy is basically a mini Mickey. He has a resting face so grumpy it could be hilarious in another context and his entire demeanor screams "Milkovich" but there’s something else; a sweetness in his eyes, in the way he looks at Ian, like he is worried about him. The boy bite his lips and frowns before saying:

 

“I don’t want to be late dad, you should get dressed.”

 

“Yeah, right, I… Yeah, okay.”

 

Ian practically runs to what appears to be his bedroom and takes clean clothes in the drawer before going to the bathroom. His mind is racing and he feels like he’s gonna be sick when he catches his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The clothes fall at his feet and he lets escape a loud scream; he shrinks back in horror, before he can take what his mirror shows. It’s him alright but it’s not him; he has wrinkles around his eyes and his mouth, and scars on his chest he doesn’t remember. He has a stubble and apparently he got another tattoo; on the inside of his right arm, the letter M is inked on his skin in a very elegant writing and for a second he smiles because it’s beautiful and it’s obvious he did it for Mickey.

 

But then, everything comes back again and Ian is on the verge of breaking. Yesterday he was having a party at his place with his family and friends, he was happy and young and now he is … _What am I ?_ He wonders. Apparently a father, a jackass when it comes to Mandy and also an adult, with a job in ROTC. He opens a cabinet and finds his pills, takes them quickly before jumping in the shower. Once he's done, he puts his clothes on and goes back to the kitchen. He takes his phone to check the date and he does everything he can not to burst in tears. He feels like he was just hit by a car and finds it necessary to hold onto the kitchen counter when he realizes that today is his birthday: Today, according to the date, he is turning 28. His breathing quickens and he closes his eyes for a minute. He tries to calm down but he knows that acid taste on his tongue: he goes to the sink and pukes his guts despite the fact he has pretty much nothing in his stomach. He turns the water on and splashes some on his face but it takes him several minutes nonetheless to take a hold of himself. When he is certain he can stand without grabbing onto something for balance, he looks around him in search of answers. Except the only thing this apartment is giving away is that he is going insane.

 

He needs to speak to the boy, he needs to find out more about this family but mini Mickey is not in the kitchen anymore so Ian goes to the next room which happens to be the living room and finds him in his baseball uniform watching cartoons. Ian flops onto the couch beside him and doesn’t say anything for a while. The boy’s gaze is focused on the television and Ian has a terrible feeling; this boy, who’s supposed to be his son, doesn’t like him. He can feel it in his bones, and the fact that he met him not even an hour ago doesn’t change squat. His son doesn’t like him.

 

“Should we go?” Ian finally says.

 

The boy nods but doesn’t say a thing, grabs his backpack and goes to the door. Ian spots a pair of car keys and a wallet, takes them because he is sure he's gonna need that, and follows suit behind the boy because he has no idea which car is his. Once outside the boy predictably goes towards a black car and Ian unlocks the door casually when inside he is a total mess. The only reassuring thing is that they are in the south side so if the boy has baseball practice, there’s only one place that can take place. He prays all the gods that the boy is not practicing elsewhere but when he gets no reaction about the direction he is taking, he relaxes a little and decides to focus on the road.

 

“Remind me at what time I have to pick you up?” Ian asks.

 

“You wanna pick me up?” the boy says, apparently surprised.

 

“Sure.” 

 

“Okay… the practice ends at 2pm.” The boy says, unsure.

 

“Is it so surprising that I want to spend some time with my son?”

 

“You never do.”

 

Ian’s heart breaks a little at the answer and he’s fighting the urge to cry at loud for the second time today. How can he fix something he doesn’t remember doing? He doesn’t even know this kid and despite the feeling of love he already has for him, they are two strangers.

 

Ian finally pulls over in front of the baseball field and Yevgeny gets out of the car without a word. Once Ian is sure he is with his instructor, he drives as fast as he can to the northside. He doesn’t know how but he ends up in front of Ned Lishman’s practice, and runs into the building. The receptionist doesn't care about what he says and Ian is close to bash her head with the crystal vase in front of him when he hears a familiar voice.

“Ian?”

 

Ian turns around and ends up face to face with his ex lover (well, lover, you know) and this time he can’t hold back the tears. Between two sobs, he manages to say _I need to talk to you, please_ and doctor Lishman asks the receptionist to cancel his next appointment. Once they are in his office, Ian tells him everything while he paces the floor; how he went to bed on his 18 th birthday, only to wake up on his 28th in a place he doesn’t even know. He tells him that he has a son but he doesn’t even know how that’s possible. Ned listens, doesn’t interrupt but the frown on his face, if it is any indication, tells Ian that he is worried. Once he told him everything, he finally sits and Ned sighs.

 

“Look Ian I don’t know what’s going on but obviously I’m not the one with the answer. I’m gonna make an appointment for you with a friend of mind, he’s a neurologist, he’ll be able to help you.”

 

“When?”

 

“I can’t tell for now, he is very busy but he’ll make an exception for me. Until then, just go home and try to relax and-“

 

“How am I supposed to do that huh? I don’t remember the past 10 years. I don’t know who I am.” His voice breaks and he starts crying again. His whole body is shaking and he is sure his head is about to explode.

 

“It’s gonna be okay. Just give me your number and I’ll call you when I hear from my friend.”

 

Ian looks at him sheepishly and rubs his forehead before he says:

 

“I don’t know my phone number…”

 

“Just … give me your phone.”

 

Ian does so, and he can see Ned typing before his own phone on the desk rings. He stands up, grabs a paper and writes down the numbers before handing it to Ian.

“Here, you might need it. Now go home get some rest, I’ll be in touch. I’m sorry to throw you out but I already cancelled an appointment and the next one is in five minutes.”

“I get it. I’ll go.Thanks for... everything, you know.”

"Don't mention it, kid. Now go!" Ned gives Ian a reassuring smile and pats him on the shoulder before letting him out.

Once he is outside, Ian exhales deeply (his hands are shaking but he ignores it) and checks his phone: he got less that two hours before he has to pick up Yevgeny. He wants to find Mickey, let him know what's going on but he's not sure how the other man is gonna react. No, first he needs to spend time with his son so he fights the urge to call the man that is supposedly his partner/lover. What he needs right now is a pack of smokes and a newspaper. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to apologize in advance because this is not beta'd and english is not my first language so... I hope it's not too chaotic.  
> My beta partner in crime, the wonderful Pens, is currently working on the last chapter of my other fic so I didn't want to bother her and I have absolutely no patience whatsoever, I needed to post this.


End file.
